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Red rover, red rover send… Rescue Roverright over. I’ll get back to Rescue Rover in a moment. First, I want to wish you a happy Thorsday, little friday and thankful thursday. It’s a super-hectic time in the Woods, and we’re all pouting a little because we only had one day of fall and we nearly missed it. I did get one photo and it’s up on the fur-girls’ blog.

So, back to Rescue Rover. PetFlow has a special on the pet alert decals and we wanted to share it with you. I love it when my passions collide, and when the fire service and my pets meet in a safe place, it’s all good. I do suggest that you check with your local fire department before you just slap the sticker up somewhere though. I have seen the stickers melted, taken out during initial ventilation efforts, etc., so you want to be sure that your good intentions are actually useful in a very real emergency.

And hold on to your hats… I’m thankful for the interaction the fur-girls had with Chloe, the young adult JRT up the road. On our walk Wednesday evening, Chloe charged down her driveway and followed us up the road a bit. When I realized she and Gg were all bark and no bite and Chloe wasn’t heeding her owner’s commands to come back to him, we turned around and walked her to her mailbox, where she further demonstrated the well-known Jack Russell “You’re not the boss of me!” refusal to obey. Thankfully, she followed my girls up the embankment when I announced “Car’s coming; out of the road!” and it was a non-incident. It also gave Chloe’s owner the opportunity he needed to get his hands on one distracted, loose, wild JRT gal. Sissy had a ball yelling at both little dogs, and at some point, Gg stopped being traumatized and resorted to being just plain mouthy with the other two dogs. Hooray!

Last night, the Knight received a truly remarkable gift. One of the firefighters is a talented artist, and he used a photo of the Knight and Fred to create the sketch, which was then signed by a significant portion of the brigade (members).

(Yes, that’s a baby Shadow in the lower right corner. I’ve always loved this photo, so it was fun to revisit it.)

Isn’t that stunning?! The Knight and I spent our lunch break trying to sort out all the signatures, and a couple still elude us.

Now, to make a special place for this and the things that came home from his chief’s office…

Like the rest of the country, we’ve been moved by the Sandy Hook tragedy. But the Knight still had duty crew all weekend, and yesterday was photos with Santa at the firehouse. (Sorry… I don’t post photos of kiddos without permission, so enjoy these BIG kids instead.)

My heart breaks for everyone who has been touched by the deaths of those innocents. I don’t mean to appear insensitive, but those of us not actively grieving do need to carry on…

I am hopeful that some good will come from this. Several of you know that I’ve long bemoaned the secret shame associated with mental health/illness, and as one of my former co-workers posted on Facebook, it is up to ALL of to assure children – all children, everywhere – are safe wherever they might be. It takes a village, and these days, we’re a global community.

So hug your own children close for me. Send your children’s teachers and school administrators a thank you note, cookies… something to let them know how much you appreciate their dedication. And I sincerely am moved that a few of you have already expressed your concerns for the first responders (emergency service workers if you prefer). I promise, cards and cookies are welcomed at any fire/rescue/police station, anywhere.

Wish I’d been prepared… I could have scanned photos from my fire service days. I embodied that theme for those 12+ years. At the start of my career, I focused heavily on training; I first took every single class I could find, including enough fire science classes to have a minor in said area of study, and then I became an instructor. Technically, I still AM certified as an instructor, but I haven’t taught in at least 10 years. Then, near the end of my career, I was very involved in equal opportunity issues.

Of course, now I’m passionate about the Junior League, where women harness their power, develop their potential and change the world through action in their own communities. I can’t mention the League without noting that our own Kids in the Kitchen event takes place NEXT SATURDAY!

Feel free to click over and see if there’s an event in your area. If not, click back to the home page and poke around for lots of information about the program and nutrition.

If you’re here for Dogs on Thursday, visit the girls’ blog. Sissy is perhaps abusing her power – or at least over-stating her authority – but she’s declared that those of us who failed to honor Dog Biscuit Day yesterday can celebrate with our pooches over the weekend. While you’re there, scroll back one post for a link to a contest for owners with anxious dogs…

How is it little friday already?! I had big plans for this week, what with no big meetings or such, and whoosh! It’s gone. The good news is, I’ve gotten some great workouts in, but honestly, that’s about it.

Thankful Thursday has never been more celebrated. I am SO thankful for so much. The Knight and I played hookie yesterday afternoon, and on our way home, we toured the brush fire (wildfire for those of you to the west) damaged area where he spent his Saturday while I was living it up with my girlfriends. I didn’t take photos, but there were no fewer than five homes that literally had the fire stopped just feet from their walls. I cannot imagine…

So thankfully, some of our favorite customers were safe and sound. It’s fascinating to remind myself that even those whose views are blackened and bleak now will have lush green soon enough. I’ll have to remind the Knight to take me back in a few months to see Mother Nature thriving after her own not-so-urban renewal.

Car fire training... one of the few "fire" photos I have on Flickr!

Even though the Knight was there in the thick of it all, he too marvelled at where the fire went, or specifically, why it stopped just feet away from a broomsage field or a tender young pine plantation. Sure, wind, firefighting, yeah, yeah, but those same forces didn’t prevail in other spots.

In our part of the country, this is fire season. There are outdoor burn bans and we had three red-flag (conditions favorable for a wildfire) days last week, the first week of the season. I hope our whole community is thankful for the firefighters and their families. For instance, while one friend was on duty – all friggin’ weekend – his wife had to deal with a water leak that basically destroyed her kitchen. Makes me thankful I handled being dateless as gracefully as I did… Hem.

I’m also thankful for the cool, damp air and the rain that’s coming. What are you thankful for today?

I had a post. For the umpteenth time of late, the formatting went haywire, and this time, it was easier to delete it and start over. I think.

Santa's 2008 visit

There’s a meme at the end of this post if all goes well. Otherwise, how go your holiday preparations? I’m getting there, but I’ll be taking time out tomorrow for photos with Santa at the firehouse. If you’re local, they’re free. Stop by from 1-4.

(On a side note, I love that chair. It’s an antique someone gave to the station when I was a very little girl. It has a “matching” rocker. I had the cushions re-done years ago by the now Assistant Chief’s mom, with the undersanding that if they ever got rid of the chairs, I have first refusal. I REALLY want them, but they look great outside the chief’s office.)

So, about that meme…

1. What are four television shows that you watch?

House

NCIS

NCIS LA

Anything on the Food Network

2. Four Things That You Are Passionate About?

My husband

My dogs

The fire service – especially the local company, founded in part by my father.